TUCSON -- In August when the University of Arizona was going through fall camp, there was a lot of thunder and lightning talk — and it wasn’t about monsoon season.

Instead, it was about all the options the Wildcats had at running back with junior Ka’Deem Carey and senior Daniel Jenkins.

“We have two starting tailbacks” was almost a daily line from coach Rich Rodriguez, and though it wasn’t all that believable, it did seem possible the two would be on the field at the same time a lot this season. Carey, a powerful runner, would bring the thunder, and Jenkins, a speedster, would bring the lightning.

But through five games, and especially recently, it’s pretty much just been thunder.

In UA’s two Pac-12 games, Carey has 51 rushes and Jenkins has five. Jenkins had four carries for 13 yards against Washington and just one for 11 yards against USC.

“We haven’t played two tailbacks at the same time a lot, but we still have the ability to do that going forward,” Rodriguez said Monday at his weekly news conference. “It really depends on how people are playing us. Once we get a particular set, we like to match up with that set.”

In an offense that emphasizes tempo, Rodriguez isn’t a fan of subbing personnel in and out during a drive but said Monday that “sometime we have to, and we’re going to look at that this week.”

Jenkins was battling an undisclosed minor injury entering the Washington game, which explains his lack of activity against the Huskies. But against USC, the senior was healthy but didn’t see his number called often.

The Moreno Valley, Calif., native practiced in the slot a lot during fall camp, and Rodriguez said then he was eager to use him in different roles. That remains a possibility.

What doesn’t seem likely is Jenkins taking playing time away from Carey. The Oro Valley Canyon del Oro product has rushed for more than 100 yards in eight consecutive games, including matchups against ASU, Washington and USC.

The second game in that streak came last year against this week’s opponent, Utah. Carey rushed for 206 yards on 26 carries. He’s coming off a 21-carry, 138-yard performance against USC on Thursday.

“I don’t think Ka’Deem had his best game his last game, but he’s not had a bad game, either,” Rodriguez said. “He comes to play. He has a great passion for it. That’s what we want out of our guys all the time.”

Injury update

Senior offensive guard Chris Putton came out of the USC game fine after injuring a knee against Washington. Putton didn’t play in the first quarter, but entered in the second and played the remainder of the game.

Rodriguez said Putton is expected to start against Utah.

Senior cornerback Derrick Rainey injured his back during warm-ups against USC, and that kept him out against the Trojans. Rodriguez hopes to have him back this week.

Up next

Posting a comment to our website allows you to join in on the conversation. Share your story and unique perspective with members of the azcentral.com community.

Comments posted via facebook:

► Join the Discussion

Join the conversation! To comment on azcentral.com, you must be logged into an active personal account on Facebook. You are responsible for your comments and abuse of this privilege will not be tolerated. We reserve the right, without warning or notification, to remove comments and block users judged to violate our Terms of Service and Rules of Engagement. Facebook comments FAQ

Join thousands of azcentral.com fans on Facebook and get the day's most popular and talked-about Valley news, sports, entertainment and more - right in your newsfeed. You'll see what others are saying about the hot topics of the day.